Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Hansard source

Essentially the processes of dismantling the arrangements around Nauru were based on sound policy. The fact is it did not work. We have said consistently that the Nauru option actually saw a situation where there were in fact no deterrents and the overwhelming numbers of people who went to Nauru and were granted refugee status ended up in either Australia or New Zealand. So our position was essentially that the policy did not work. It was incredibly expensive and it mistreated people terribly. As a consequence of that, the government moved to end the Pacific solution. We have said that the arrangements in regard to Malaysia are substantially different. Under these agreements there is genuine protection for refugees so that they will not be returned to a country from which they have fled and they will have appropriate access to refugee assessment. This is a much stronger process. (Time expired)